All sewing machine shuttles require some type of bearing between the shuttle body and their supporting means. The most common types are those wherein the bearing surfaces are the outer edges of the shuttle and associated surfaces in the shuttle support housing. As such, very tight dimensional control must be maintained so that vibration during operation of the sewing machine may be kept to a minimum. This necessarily closed area is an ideal place for thread or foreign matter to collect and eventually jam the mechanism. Also, due to the shape of the bearing surfaces and their accessibility, uniform lubrication is very difficult.